Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

In Jackson, Mississippi, a water crisis of unparalleled scale

washingtonpost.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

31–40 of 209 posts

Re: In Jackson, Mississippi, a water crisis of unparalleled scale

#31

Post by nradov »

hollywood_court wrote: post #8
cs702 wrote: post #5

By all measures, this is due to the kind of neglect and mismanagement one would expect to see in an underdeveloped or war-torn country, not in a city inside a state that is part of the most powerful country on earth. And Jackson is the state's largest city and as well as its capital ! It must be so embarrassing for the politicians who have been running Mississippi. They've done a truly terrible, horrible job on this.

Us Southerners love to shoot ourselves in the foot. We do it every single election cycle and then make disparaging remarks about states like California.

California does certain things better, but we also manage to burn down half the state every summer.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/california-wildfires-grow-...

Today we're in the middle of a power shortage, to the extent that EV owners are asked not to charge their cars.

https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/california-electric-vehic...

Some small towns have literally run out of water.

https://calmatters.org/california-divide/2021/06/california-...

I'm not trying to excuse the negligent mismanagement of Jackson's public water system, just pointing out that there are serious infrastructure problems nationwide. The bill is coming due.

Re: In Jackson, Mississippi, a water crisis of unparalleled scale

#32

Post by djkoolaide »

theropost wrote: post #10
cs702 wrote: post #5

By all measures, this is due to the kind of neglect and mismanagement one would expect to see in an underdeveloped or war-torn country, not in a city inside a state that is part of the most powerful country on earth. And Jackson is the state's largest city and as well as its capital ! It must be so embarrassing for the politicians who have been running Mississippi. They've done a truly terrible, horrible job on this.

As much as we like to blame government, and politicians - at the end of the day, ll... We are the government. We are the politicians. We are the inept, lazy society who has let it come to this. We are the ones fighting amongst ourselves, unable to converse and work with opposing viewpoints.

I could not disagree more. The proletariat has no voice in a country where actual bribery has been legally upheld by the highest court.

Re: In Jackson, Mississippi, a water crisis of unparalleled scale

#33

Post by [deleted] »

hollywood_court wrote: post #18
cs702 wrote: post #5

By all measures, this is due to the kind of neglect and mismanagement one would expect to see in an underdeveloped or war-torn country, not in a city inside a state that is part of the most powerful country on earth. And Jackson is the state's largest city and as well as its capital ! It must be so embarrassing for the politicians who have been running Mississippi. They've done a truly terrible, horrible job on this.

It’s a Southern thing. Alabama isn’t much better. It’s the worst place to have a child in the entire country. We have people without access to fresh water or sewer systems. We have people living in conditions worse than anything I ever saw in Haiti. And we keep voting to actively make it worse.

[deleted]

Re: In Jackson, Mississippi, a water crisis of unparalleled scale

#34

Post by Ancalagon »

scifibestfi wrote: post #14

Does anyone else feel like all of our institutions are crumbling in real time? And to the degree they still work is a product of momentum?

Compared to where though? The US is huge. Parts of it are shiny and new and parts of it are old and decrepit, just like Europe, Israel, Mexico, South America, etc.

Re: In Jackson, Mississippi, a water crisis of unparalleled scale

#35

Post by systemvoltage »

jamroom wrote: post #29
systemvoltage wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

These are the people that have been running the city: - (D) Harvey Johnson Jr. [2009-2013] - (D) Chokwe Lumumba [2013-2014] - (D) Charles Tillman [2014] - (D) Tony Yarber [2014-2017] - (D) Chokwe Lumumba [2017-Present] From the article: > “No one is taking responsibility” for the crisis, she said. “You have the governor and the mayor blaming each other. They just keep going back and forth. Both of them knew the water…

From the NYT article it looks like the state legislature holds the purse strings on any federal funds that might help: "the State of Mississippi received $75 million to upgrade drinking water systems across the state, with an additional $429 million coming available over the next five years. But that money is in the hands of the state Legislature, not Jackson officials."

It is the job of the mayor to look out for their city, lobby for it. They can also sue the state government. An impoverished city like Jackson, that's a hard problem.

I think the problem is quite deeper than just funds. Jackson has been in decay economically.

Re: In Jackson, Mississippi, a water crisis of unparalleled scale

#36

Post by octonion »

systemvoltage wrote: post #12
cs702 wrote: post #5

By all measures, this is due to the kind of neglect and mismanagement one would expect to see in an underdeveloped or war-torn country, not in a city inside a state that is part of the most powerful country on earth. And Jackson is the state's largest city and as well as its capital ! It must be so embarrassing for the politicians who have been running Mississippi. They've done a truly terrible, horrible job on this.

These are the people that have been running the city: - (D) Harvey Johnson Jr. [2009-2013] - (D) Chokwe Lumumba [2013-2014] - (D) Charles Tillman [2014] - (D) Tony Yarber [2014-2017] - (D) Chokwe Lumumba [2017-Present] From the article: > “No one is taking responsibility” for the crisis, she said. “You have the governor and the mayor blaming each other. They just keep going back and forth. Both of them knew the water…

No post body was provided.

Re: In Jackson, Mississippi, a water crisis of unparalleled scale

#37

Post by hahaitsfunny »

theropost wrote: post #10
cs702 wrote: post #5

By all measures, this is due to the kind of neglect and mismanagement one would expect to see in an underdeveloped or war-torn country, not in a city inside a state that is part of the most powerful country on earth. And Jackson is the state's largest city and as well as its capital ! It must be so embarrassing for the politicians who have been running Mississippi. They've done a truly terrible, horrible job on this.

As much as we like to blame government, and politicians - at the end of the day, ll... We are the government. We are the politicians. We are the inept, lazy society who has let it come to this. We are the ones fighting amongst ourselves, unable to converse and work with opposing viewpoints.

No post body was provided.

Re: In Jackson, Mississippi, a water crisis of unparalleled scale

#38

Post by nradov »

jamroom wrote: post #29
systemvoltage wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

These are the people that have been running the city: - (D) Harvey Johnson Jr. [2009-2013] - (D) Chokwe Lumumba [2013-2014] - (D) Charles Tillman [2014] - (D) Tony Yarber [2014-2017] - (D) Chokwe Lumumba [2017-Present] From the article: > “No one is taking responsibility” for the crisis, she said. “You have the governor and the mayor blaming each other. They just keep going back and forth. Both of them knew the water…

From the NYT article it looks like the state legislature holds the purse strings on any federal funds that might help: "the State of Mississippi received $75 million to upgrade drinking water systems across the state, with an additional $429 million coming available over the next five years. But that money is in the hands of the state Legislature, not Jackson officials."

Local water systems really shouldn't depend on federal funding. Unless there's some kind of interstate impact, that should be entirely a state and local issue. Mississippi could certainly afford to keep water flowing, they just chose not to prioritize it.

Re: In Jackson, Mississippi, a water crisis of unparalleled scale

#39

Post by pxeboot »

Consultant32452 wrote: post #20
hollywood_court wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s a Southern thing. Alabama isn’t much better. It’s the worst place to have a child in the entire country. We have people without access to fresh water or sewer systems. We have people living in conditions worse than anything I ever saw in Haiti. And we keep voting to actively make it worse.

Wait till you find out about rural Alaska.

Many people in the (few) remaining villages without running water don't want it, and certainly don't want to pay anything for it.

Re: In Jackson, Mississippi, a water crisis of unparalleled scale

#40

Post by newaccount2021 »

Consultant32452 wrote: post #20
hollywood_court wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s a Southern thing. Alabama isn’t much better. It’s the worst place to have a child in the entire country. We have people without access to fresh water or sewer systems. We have people living in conditions worse than anything I ever saw in Haiti. And we keep voting to actively make it worse.

Wait till you find out about rural Alaska.

No post body was provided.
Post reply on HN